Welcome to Canada
Role: Director/Producer
Global Oneness Project⎮20 min ⎮2016
Synopsis
Welcome to Canada tells the story of Mohammed Alsaleh, a young Syrian refugee granted asylum in Canada in 2014. After fleeing torture and imprisonment by the Assad regime, he is rebuilding his life. Mohammed counsels newly-arrived Syrian refugee families with the same Vancouver-based NGO that aided him during his own resettlement process. Like Mohammed, these families have left loved ones behind and are struggling to adapt to a new land, finding resilience and hope for a new beginning.
Like thousands of other newly-resettled refugees, Mohammed has been striving to bring his family to safety in Canada. Millions of Syrians are currently displaced within Syria’s borders and in neighboring countries.
Awards
- 2017 Sapporo Peace Award
Distribution
Welcome to Canada is being distributed by Global Oneness Project for use as a teaching tool in universities and colleges across the US. It was featured on The Atlantic, Short of the Week, is being distributed by the National Film Board of Canada, and was shown at Big Sky Film Festival in 2017. It was also screened at the Guanajuato International Film Festival (Mexico), Human Rights Nights (Italy), Seattle International Film Festival (USA) and Sapporo Shorts (Japan), where it won the 2017 Peace Award.
